At Holcim’s Lägerdorf site in Northern Germany, employees have switched from wearing disposable garments made of SMS material to limited use type 5/6 chemical protective garments made of DuPont Tyvek Classic material.
The garments are required to protect employees who, on a daily basis, inspect a large number of secondary or substitute fuel metering and conveyor systems or carry out routine maintenance work on such systems.
It became apparent that an alternative to the previous protective garments was required as employees were dissatisfied at the frequent low tear resistance of the SMS material. Problems had arisen when the barrier layer was no longer intact. This was especially so when employees were carrying out strenuous activities such as cleaning the highly soiled metering and conveyor systems.
The company said Tyvek garments were selected because they provided high barrier protection, comfort and strength.
According to DuPont, Tyvek has a high liquid and particle barrier, low specific weight and high resistance to tear, tear growth and abrasion, while ensuring an effective level of permeability to air and water vapour.
The Tyvek garments have also been selected for use in Holcim's second plant near Hanover.